Wall surface construction



May 10, 1932 H. J. R. BARRETT 1,857,490

WALL SURFACE CONSTRUCTION Fiied July y14, 19:50 5 sheds-sheet 1'..lrlflalll INI/ENTOR. Herber d R. Bar/"eff www ATTO NEYs.

May 10, 1932. H. J. R, BARRETT C WALL SURFACE CONSTRUCTION Filed July14, 1950 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR. 'Herberf J R. arref Wm /QWWA'TToNEYs May l0, 1932. H. .J. R. BARRETT 1,857,490

' WALL SURFACE CONSTRUCTION Filed July 14, l1930 3 sheets-sheet s f/ //fff,

A TTO NE YS.

Patented May 10, 19.32

UNITED STATES HERBERT a. n. BARRETT, or Los mamas, oaLnvoNu WALT.SURFACE CONSTRUCTION f Application led July 14, 1930. Serial No.487,758.

This invention relates to a novel'construction for use in building 'wallsurfaces or the like, the term wall surface being understood to includethe surface or covering of elther a side wallof a room or structure, a

' bottom wall (door), or a top Wall (ceiling or roof), or in general,any wall disposed in either vertical, horizontal, or inclined position.v The invention relates particularly to the construction of wallsurfaces with slabs, blocks, plates, or other pre-formed sectionalmembers of suitable wall surface material, such as caustic`` tile or.other ornamental 'or building tile, concrete or other pre-formed slabsof natural or artificial stone, wood blocks, glass, marblecompositionblocks or slabs such as plaster board or the like, or 1n general anytype of pre-formed or pre-prepared members of relatively extended surface adapted for forming Wall surfaces.

The principal object of the invention is to provide anim rovedconstruction in wall surfaces of the a ove type, and particularly toprovide for building or forming such a wall surface more quickly andeconomically than has heretofore been possible. A

A. further object of the invention is-to prov vide a. sectional wallsurface structure whose members are support-ed and held in proper 3"position more rigldly and permanently than by the means heretoforeemployed.

A further object of the invention is to provide la Wall surfacestructure having a novel and pleasing appearance, particularly in so faras regards the appearance at the junctures of the adjacent members orsections.

A particular object of the invention is to provide a wall surfacestructure in which the use of mortar or other cementitious, bituminous,or plastiomaterials for holding the sectional members of the wallsurface in position is eliminated, this object being accomplishedaccording` to my invent-ion by the use of grooved, slotted or recessedsectional wall surface members, together with resilient supporting orframe members extending along the, lines of juncture between adjacentsectional wall surface members, and adapted to face members therebetweenand to engage permit forcible insertion of said wall sur and firmly holdin position the wall surface vmembers so inserted.

The'wall surface structure of my invention comprises essentially a framestructure comprising a plurality of frame members, certam of whichextend transversely with respect to others, sopas to provide a grid-likeor reticulate frame structure separating the wall surface area intosections whose size and shape corres ond to the size and shape of thesectlonal wal surface members, said frame members being provided withyieldingor resilient interlocking means projecting into the sectionalareas therebetween andadapted to permit forcible insertionrof thesectional wall surface members therebetween, and a plurality ofsectional wallvsurface members of the type above described mounted, oradapted to be mounted, between said frame members and provided withinterlocking means, such as recesses, grooves or notches, at their edgesadapted to engage said interlocking means on the frame members so as tohold said wall surface members rmly in position when insertedtherebetween.

Various forms of frame members and interlocking means thereon may beemployed, and modifications may also'b'e inade in the disposition andshape of the recesses or interlocking means in the edoes of thesectional wall surface members. uch modications, as well as the generalessential features of the `invention,.m be better understood byreference to t e accompanying drawings illustrating embodiments of myinvention.

Referring to said drawings:

Fig. 1 is an isometricl projection of a portion of a wall surfacestructure, with the sectional wall surface members thereof 90 largelybroken away.

Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line 2 2 1 in Fig. 1, with the`sectional wall ksurface members shown in position.

Fig. 3 is a perspective vlew of a tile orl 95 other sectional walsurface member. forming a part of my invention.

Fig. 4 is an enlarged transverse section through a frame member andportions of the adjacent sectional wallsurface members, m0

showing means for providing a waterproof constructlon.

Fig. is a section on line 5-5.in Fig. 1,

showin a means which may advantageouslyv be emp oyed for securingtogether adjacent len hs of frame members..

` ig. 6 is an isometric rojection show lng the arrangement of the wallsurface members forforming a salient vangle or corner of a wall surface.

-Figs. 1 to 4 inclusive, showing another embodiment of the invention.

Referring to Fig. 1, the frame members are shown as comprising a seriesof substantially parallel members 1, and a second series ofsubstantially parallel members 2 extending transversely with respect tothe first mentioned members, for example, perpendicular thereto. Saidframe members are so spaced that each of the spaces A enclosedtherebetween corresponds inf size and shape to the sectional wallsurface fznembers with which the'wall surface is to be built up. In thiscase this spacefis shown as rectangular, and the tile or other sectionalwall surface members 3 are also rectangular, as shown vparticularly inFig.'3. The frame members are shown as`composed of thin strips ofresilient -metal such as steel, Monel metal, stainless vsteel, bronze,brass, tin or copper and the interlocking, means thereon compriseoutwardly bowed or curved beads or ridges 4 projecting outwardly' ateach side from a narrow or restricted outer edge portion 5 whose frontface preferably lies substantially in'thefflane of the front face o'fthe adi a cent wall surface members, as shown in Fig. 4, saidinterlocking beads or ridges extending longitudinally of saidframemembers. The ortions 10 of said frame members rearwardy of saidinterlocking projections are displaced inwardly toward one another. Theframe members are also provided with flat portions 6 adapted 'to abutagainst suitable fixed supporting means, such as wooden beams or studs7, and are also preferably provided with ianges or other suitably shapedportions 8 adapted to engage and support the rear face of the tile' orother sectional wall surface members. These frame members, having across-sectional shape such as shown particularly inV Fig. 4, may easilybe formed y simple y bending or forming operations from fiat sheets orstrips of metal. Y The frame members 1 and 2 may be secured to fixedsupporting means constituting the main wall structure in any suitablemanner. For example, in Fig. 2 the iiat portions 6 are ame members andshown as secured to the wooden beams 7 by means of nails 9. Where theframe members cross one another they may be notched 'so asly fromtheirlower face as shown at 11 for aj sutii'cient width to receive the lowerportion of the frame members 2, while the frame 4members 2 may benotched downwardly :froml their upper face as shown at 12 for asuiiicient width to receive the upper portion of the frame members 1.lIn case it is necessary or desired to connect together two framemembers end to end, this may be eected by a dowel member 13 consisting,for example, of a split resilient metal sleeve of suitable lengthadapted to be.inserted as shown in Figs. 1 and 5 between the opposingbeads 4 of each .frame member and to be frictionally held therebetween,due to the resilience of the dowel member and the frame member. Suchresilience permits the dowel member to be compressed and inserted to thedesired position in the frame member, and to expand upon release andgrip the frame member in-` i ternally. Y

In case it is desired to provide a waterproof construction preventingpenetration of water behind the tile or other Wall surface members, thechannels or spaces above the fiat ortions 6 andinside the iianges 8. maybe fil ed with mortar, bituminous or asphaltic bedding Amaterial, orother filling material indicated at 15 in Fig. 4.

' In forming a wall surface, the frame members are first secured inposition so as to form a grid-like structure over the wall area to becovered, and the tile or other sectional wall surface members 3 arethenforcibly inserted into the spaces therebetween. Said sectional wallsurface members are provided at their edges with groov'esor recesses 17adapted to fit over and engage the beads or projections 4 on the framemembers. When the tile or sectional wall surface members are brou ht toa position 4such as indicated in dotte lines at X in Fig. 2, and areforcibly inserted between adjacent frame members, the pressure of thelower edges or corners 18 thereof forces the beads or projections 4inwardly, the resilience of the frame members permitting. the same to bedeformed to some such position as indicated in dottedlines at Y in Fig.2. ,The wall surface members may,

therefore, be forced inwardly against the supporting means 8, whereuponthe projections or beads 4 are again moved outwardly by the lresilienceof the frame members so as to engage in the grooves or recesses 17. InFig. 4 the parts are shown on a somewhat enlarged scale and a slightclearance is shown between the face ofthe grooves 17 and the beads orprojections 4, but Ait will be under` nous material, or other beddingmaterial 15l is to be used for forming a waterproof construction, asillustrated 1n Fig. 4, such bed-- ding material may be placed inposition, and the sectional wall surface members may be inserted asabove described, while the plaster or filling material is still in wetor plastic condition so that it is caused to completely fill the spacebetween the rear face of the wall surface member and the frame memberand provide a seal against entrance of water, without in any wayinterfering with the placing of the wall surface members in position.This mortar or beddinrr material does not show from the front of thewall surface structure so that no finishing thereof is'required.

In Figs. 6 to 8 inclusive, I have shown a preferred form of constructionfor use at a salient angle or corner where two wall surfaces intersectoneanother. In this case a special frame member 21 is mounted to extendparallel to the line of intersection of the wall surfaces and isprovided with two integra-lly formed or rigidly connected portions 21aand 2lb, which are perpendicular to one another or flared to correspondto the angle between the wall surfaces, each provided with interlockingmeans such as longitudinally extending beads or ribs 4 at each sidethereof. Each of said portions is also provided with a flat portion 6adapted to be secured to a su )porting member and-with an upstandingange v8 forming a support for engagement with the inner face of the tileor other sectional wall members. The transveisely extending framemembers, such as indicated at 22, are of substantially the samecross-sectional shape as the standard frame members first described,being provided with interlocking means 4, flat portions 6 and flanges 8,but are bent or bowed longitudinally through an angle of 90, or equal tothe angle between the wall surfaces, as shown in Fig. 6, so as toprovide a rounded portion 22a adapted to extend between the portions 21aand 21?) of the corner frame member, and two straight portions 22?)projecting beyond said corner frame member and adapted for connection tostandard frame members as b y means .of dowels indicated at 13, similarto those above described. The portions 21a and 2lb of the corner framemember may be recessed inwardly from their outr edges as shown at 23,for a sufficient width to receive y the outer ortion of the roundedframe member 22, w ile said rounded frame member may be recessedoutwardly from its inner edge, as indicated at 24, for a sufficientwidth to receive the inner portions of the two portions 21a and 2lb ofthe corner frame member, so that said frame members may be assembled asshown, with the interlocking means thereof crossing or overlapping oneanother.

Special curved or rounded sectional ,Wall

surface members 3 are also provided, whose shape correspondssubstantially to a segment of a cylinder curved through an angle ofapproximately 90. or equal to the angle bctween thepwall surfaces, saidspecial wall sections being provided as` before at their four sides withrecesses or grooves 17 adapted for interlocking engagement with the ribsor projections on the adjacent frame members. The projections 4 at theouter sidesy of the two portions 21a and 2lb of the corner frame memberare adapted to engage and hold in position standard flat wall surfacemembers 3, as shown. I have also shown the provision of waterproof sealsof mortar' or other bedding material, as indicated at 15', but it willbe understood that such bedding material may or may not be provided,according t0 whether or not a waterproof construction is desired.

The adaptation of the wall surface structure of my invention to areentrant angle or. corner at the intersection of two Wall surfaces isillustrated in Fig. 9. In this case .the standard frame memberconstruction first' described, and the transversely extending framemembers such as 26 are alsoof standard cross-'sectional shape andgeneral construction, but are bent or b owed so as to form a reentrantangle of or equal to the angle between the planes of the twointersecting wall surfaces. The frame members are as before recessed attheir inner and outer portions respectively so as to )rovide foroverlapping or halvmg thereo in substantially the same manner as abovedescribed, and as is clearly shown in Fig. 9. Special rounded or curvedtile or other sectional wall surface members 3 are also provided in thiscase,

' which' are so shaped that their outer face is curved through areentrant angle of approximately 90 .or equal to the angle between theintersecting wall surfaces. In this case also the rounded frame members26 may be adapted for connection at their ends to standard frame membersas by means of dowel sleeves 13.

In case it isdesired to provide a wall surface in which the'tile orother sectional members abut closely against one another at their edgesand in vwhich the supporting frame members are concealed from view, Imay ldescribed form o use .a construction such as shown in Fig. 10.

vIn this case the frame member indicated at j 27 is provided as beforewith two resilient .side

ward edges ofthe grooves or recesses'29-and permit overlapping orhalving thereof at'v into the s ace between said edge lportions 30. Withsuc a construction, the tile or other sectional wall members may beinserted into position in the same manner as abovedescribed, so as tobring the projections 4 of the frame member into engagement with therecesses 29, and when so mounted,are .adapted to substantially contactone another at their edge portions 30, forwardly of the frame member,and thus substantially conceal said .frame member from view.

In Figs. 11 to 14 inclusive, I have showna modification of theinvention, using a different shape of frame member-and .interlockingmeans, with sectional wall surface members having suitably modifiedgrooves or recesses therein for engagement with said interlocking means.In this embodimentof the invention, the frame members, indicated at 31and 32, are provided with two parallel closely spaced side portions 33provided at their inner ends with flat portions 6 for mounting o nsupporting members 7 and with upstandingiianges 8 for engaging andsupporting the inner face of the tile or sectional Vwall surface'members. Each side portion 33 is provided with an outwardly projectinginterlocking tongue 34 which extends'l rearwardly and outwardly into thespace A to be occupied by the sectional wall surface members. Saidtongue may advantageouslyT be `formed by cutting out and bending up aportion of the metal of the frame member. Said frame members are asbefore recessed at their inner and outer portions respectively so as totheir intersections.

In this form 0f the invention, each tile or .other sectional wallsurface memberv 37 is provided at its edges with a groove or .recess 38adapted to engage the interlocking tongues 34 of the frame members insuch manner as to hold'the sectional wall surface members firmly inposition. In connection with rearwardly and outwardly inclinedinterlocking tongues as above described, I prefer to also 1.- A wallsurface construction comprising frame members forming a grid defining aplurality of spaces, sectional wall surface members adapted to fitwithinsaid spaces,-said frame members being provided with resilientinterlocking means having portions projecting into saidspaces, and saidwall surface members being recessed inwardly from their outer edges soasto receive said projectin portions of said interlocking means to holdsaid wall surface members in osition between said frame members, theresi 'ence of said interlocking means on the frame members enablin saidmeans to yield sufciently to ermit orcible insertion of said wall surace members between opposing frame members and into said position. 2. Awall surface construction comprising a plurality of frame -members,certain of which extend transversely with respect to the others so as toprovide a reticulate frame structure, sectional 'wall surface membersshaped to fit in the spaces between said frame members and provided withinwardly extending recesses at their edges, said frame members extendingbetween'edges of adjacent wall surface members and having resilientportions so disposed as to project into said recesses in the wallsurface members when said wall surface members are insertedtherebetween, the resilience of said projecting portions enabling saidportionsto yield suiciently to permit forcible insertion of said wallsurface members between opposing members and into said position.

3. A wall surface construction as set forth in claim 2, .said frameVmembers being so formed as to define channels behind the edge portionsof the wall surface members when said wall surface members are in.position therebetween, and substantiallyl waterproof use rearwardly andout-wardly.- inclined grooves or recesses 38 in the wall surfacemembers, so that the rear portion of the re-

